Firestorm
by Holly Jolly
Summary: AU...The Republic is falling apart...Obi Wan discovers the REAL reason Count Dooku left the Jedi Order. A lot of drama and Obi angst. If you like character development, you'll like this. Please R & R. IT'S COMPLETE!!
1. Default Chapter: Old Friends, New Conce...

Firestorm II - AU of AOTC, Sequel to Firestorm  
  
Chapter 1: Old Friends, New Concerns  
  
Disclaimer: Everything belongs to the almighty George (We're not worthy, we're not worthy!!!). Except Cassi, she's all mine!!  
  
Obi Wan Kenobi, having recently returned from his assignment on the planet of Ansion, couldn't believe his ears when Jedi Master Mace Windu informed him of his next assignment. In fact, Obi Wan thought he had misheard him completely.  
  
"I'm sorry, Master," he replied. "Can you repeat that, please."  
  
Mace looked at him, puzzled, and said, "You and your apprentice are to report at once to Senator Amidala at the Senate apartment complex. There was an assassination attempt on her life, her bodyguard and decoy was murdered, and you and Anakin are to safeguard the Senator until further notice."  
  
"Yes sir," Obi Wan breathed. Senator Padme Amidala, he thought. I wonder if her Counselor will accompany her.  
  
He stood in the center of the Jedi Council inside a room in the Jedi Temple on Coruscant and all their eyes were upon him. Obi Wan knew that he must control his thoughts and emotions until he was away from them. He fought to keep them under control. Master Yoda seemed to sense his struggle and looked at him quizzically, his ears and forehead raising in question.  
  
"That is all, Obi Wan," Mace finished. "Report to us as needed."  
  
Obi Wan bowed lowly, "Yes Master." He strode from the Council room quickly, already lost in thought. It had been ten years since he had said good bye to Cassiopeia on Naboo. Ten years since he had seen her or heard her lovely voice. Obi Wan had spent the last ten years attempting to bury his feelings for Cassi, trying to keep them from Anakin and especially from the Jedi Council, trying to keep them from affecting his training of Anakin. Even still, not a day had passed in the last ten years when he hadn't thought of her. He thought of her especially at night when he lay alone in his bed. Obi Wan wondered how she was, what she was doing, if she was happy. That's all he wanted, for Cassi to just be happy.  
  
Obi Wan bounded up the stairs of the Jedi Temple to the housing section. He hurried into his assigned quarters, the door sliding closed behind him. Obi Wan breathed heavily, closed his eyes, and leaned his head back against the door. Suddenly, there was a knot in his stomach at the thought that he might see her again, that he might speak with her again. He felt like a teenager headed out for a big date.  
  
Stop it, he chided himself, you're being ridiculous. She probably won't even be there. You're mandate is to protect Senator Amidala, not the Senator's head advisor. Cassi's probably still on Naboo and staying there, especially with the attempt on the Senator's life. Besides, ten years is a long time and she most certainly doesn't have feelings for me anymore.  
  
Obi Wan knew this was true and a part of him was dismayed that he wouldn't have the opportunity to see her. Cassiopeia and Senator Amidala never traveled together for safety purposes and now that the Senator's life was in grave danger, Cassiopeia would most likely remain on Naboo for her own safety. Yet another part of him was also relieved that he wouldn't be seeing her. While he still loved her deeply, nothing else had changed either. He was still a Jedi, she an advisor to the senator and they could not be together. It would be better this way, not seeing her.  
  
Obi Wan breathed easier and regained control of his emotions. He needed to collect Anakin and report to the Senator immediately. He smiled, it would be good to see Padme Amidala again, they had been through a lot together ten years ago. Obi Wan told himself not to be nervous, there was no way Cassiopeia would be there.  
  
  
  
Two hours later, Obi Wan paced the interior of Senator Padme Amidala's apartment, chiding himself. He should have prepared himself better for the possibility that he might indeed see Cassiopeia again. But he had been so sure that she wouldn't be here, he had convinced himself that there was absolutely nothing to be nervous about. How wrong he had been.  
  
No sooner had Obi Wan and Anakin met with Senator Amidala when Cassiopeia had walked through the door. Cassiopeia, having just arrived from Naboo, walked into Amidala's apartment. Obi Wan recalled every detail of that moment. Anakin had just finished his awkward spiel to Padme about her having grown more beautiful "for a Senator" and she had laughed. Then the door to Padme's apartment had slid open, and Cassiopeia had hurried through. She had been dressed in a long gown of gold and she wore her usual hairstyle with her generous red curls piled on her head. She rushed into the apartment and embraced the Senator, although the embrace seemed awkward, not typical of old friends like they were.  
  
In that instant, as soon as he saw her, Obi Wan's breath caught in his chest, his emotions welled up inside him and threatened to over-take him. He had coughed to get his breath back and turned away for a moment, trying desperately to mask his emotions. Anakin sensed his Master's discomfort and turned to inquire if he was alright. Before he could ask, Anakin sensed Obi Wan's emotions clearly, he wasn't able to mask them in time and keep them from his apprentice. Anakin looked from Obi Wan to Cassiopeia and back again, realization dawning on his face. In that instant, Anakin Skywalker realized that his Master was in love with this woman. His Master who preached to him incessantly about the Jedi Order, his commitment to them, and the importance of remembering and honoring the Oath, had broken an immensely important rule of the Jedi Code; he had developed a personal attachment. In that moment, Anakin lost a bit of respect for his Master.  
  
"Oh Counselor," Senator Amidala spoke, "I'm so pleased to see you're safe. I have been worried for you."  
  
"Everything is fine, Senator," Cassiopeia answered her. "We encountered no problems at all." She paused. "I was distraught when we received word that your ship had been destroyed. I feared I'd lost you."  
  
Obi Wan, knowing Cassi well, could tell that her words were forced and wondered why the tension was so intense between the Senator and her head advisor. Anakin looked at Obi Wan with a raised eyebrow. Obviously he sensed it also.  
  
"Corde was killed," Padme's eyes moistened at the thought of holding her bodyguard and decoy as she died. "I feared they would kill you as well."  
  
"No, Padme, they want you. You're the one who's going to be voting on the upcoming bill."  
  
"Either way, we both need to take precautions, Counselor," Padme turned to acknowledge the Jedi who had been watching the exchange curiously. "We have some old acquaintances to protect us." She smiled.  
  
Cassiopeia turned to view the Jedi for the first time. She lost her breath at the sight of Obi Wan Kenobi. She hardly recognized him, he'd changed so much since she'd last seen him. He had grown a full beard that already had some gray hair in it and also at his temples. His face was lined and he looked too thin. Besides his physical changes, Cassi wondered if his feelings for her had changed as well. She moved forward to greet them.  
  
"Master Kenobi," she held her hand out to him. "What a pleasure to see you again."  
  
He took her hand in both of his. Her skin was as soft as he remembered. "M'lady," he said. "We are at your humble service." And he bowed.  
  
Cassiopeia held his gaze for a moment when he raised up. Obi Wan was unable to read her or sense what she was feeling. She turned her gaze to his Padawan, Anakin.  
  
"Oh my goodness," she exclaimed as he bowed before her. "This can't be little Anakin!"  
  
"Counselor," he replied coolly with a sideways glance at Obi Wan. "We are your servants, whatever you desire is our command."  
  
Obi Wan shot Anakin a dangerous look that advised him he would be wise to watch his words. Cassiopeia saw the look Obi Wan gave Anakin and smiled. It seemed that Anakin was attempting to get a rise out of his Master. She decided to turn the tables on him. "My, Anakin, you've become such a smooth-talker," she moved closer to him until her face was mere inches from his. "I'm not sure if I'll be able to control myself around you!" She kissed his nose.  
  
Padme and Cassiopeia laughed and Obi Wan grinned. Anakin blushed completely. He stepped backward and looked as if he wished the ground would swallow him up.  
  
"I apologize for my words, m'lady," Anakin muttered humbly. "They were inappropriate."  
  
"Thank you Anakin," Cassiopeia smiled at him. "It's good to see you again."  
  
"Thank you," Anakin replied. "You too."  
  
They had continued their meeting then and Anakin had been extremely head strong and defiant toward his Master, questioning his authority and judgement in front of everyone. Obi Wan mused on this for awhile. Why had Anakin behaved the way he had tonight? Anakin had always been head strong and unpredictable, but tonight he had seemed more so. Obi Wan shook his head.  
  
He was trying to impress Padme, that's all, he told himself. Then why that odd comment to Cassiopeia? Obi Wan shook his head.  
  
He hoped that his Padawan hadn't sensed his feelings for Cassiopeia for it wouldn't help his training at all for Anakin to lose faith in his Master. He sighed and decided that there was little he could do now if indeed Anakin had sensed his feelings. Obi Wan's thoughts then turned to Cassi. How beautiful she was, just as he remembered her. He could hardly tell that he hadn't seen her for ten years. But she did look strained and tired, he mused. Obi Wan decided that it must be the stress of the last two days that weighed heavily upon her. Obi Wan sighed. She had hardly said anything to him. She had retired to the guestroom the same time that the Senator had retired to her room. She hadn't even looked back at him as she went through the doorway, and Obi Wan had been watching.  
  
Her feelings for me have surely waned after all these years, he thought. But that will make it easier for both of us. I will be able to do my duties without distractions and it will not be as hard on either of us when I have to leave this time.  
  
Obi Wan sensed Anakin coming and he cleared his mind of these thoughts.  
  
"Are you satisfied with Captain Typho's security measures Master?" Anakin questioned.  
  
Obi Wan had just returned from checking the Captain's security. "Yes, Anakin, every precaution seems to be being taken. However, my young Padawan, we need to be mindful of any disturbances in the Force. We must keep these ladies safe," replied Obi Wan.  
  
"I thought our assignment was to protect Padme," Anakin challenged.  
  
Obi Wan threw him a scowl. "Yes, it is. But protecting the Senator includes looking after her staff and keeping them safe as well. Now, I want us to work in shifts, you can go have a rest while I patrol the building and the grounds. In three hours, I'll wake you up and we'll switch."  
  
"But if we are also to protect the entire staff, why did you just mention Padme's advisor?" Anakin wasn't about to let his Master's slip of words go unnoticed.  
  
"Anakin," Obi Wan said sharply. "Don't question me over a small detail. Do what I asked."  
  
"Yes Master." Anakin went into another guestroom to try and get some rest. But he knew sleep would be difficult with Padme sleeping in the next room.  
  
Obi Wan sighed, he didn't know what to do with Anakin sometimes. The boy was very strong with the Force, but he was arrogant, defiant and too headstrong. Most of the time Obi Wan felt he was failing in his position as teacher.  
  
  
  
Cassiopeia woke with a start. She knew without looking at the clock that it was late. She lay staring at the ceiling for a moment, listening for any movement in the apartment. She couldn't hear any. She wondered where Obi Wan was. Perhaps he had dozed off, although she doubted that, it wasn't like Obi Wan to neglect his duties like that. Cassiopeia needed a drink of water, but she wasn't sure she was ready to encounter Obi Wan alone yet. She wasn't sure she was ready to confront her feelings and emotions. She sighed and got out of bed, pulling her robe tight over her nightgown. Maybe she could slip to the kitchen and back undetected.  
  
In the kitchen, Cassi opened the door to the cooler and removed a bottle of water. She took a long drink and a few drops slipped from her lips and ran down her up-tilted neck. She replaced the cap on the bottle and put the bottle back in the cooler. She closed the door to the cooler and was startled by a dark figure standing in the doorway.  
  
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you, Counselor," Obi Wan's voice. "I heard a noise and came to check. It's late," he paused. "You still don't sleep well?"  
  
Cassiopeia, still standing beside the cooler, looked at him. Without thinking, she said the first thing that came to her mind. "Not without you beside me, remember?" she replied.  
  
Obi Wan smiled and looked down at the floor.  
  
"I'm sorry," Cassiopeia said instantly. "I shouldn't have said that. It was inappropriate."  
  
"It wasn't," Obi Wan replied and looked back at her. He knew he should turn around and walk out the door right then and there, but to be this close to her, to be able to speak with her again, was too enticing and he went against his better judgment. They stood there for a few moments looking at each other.  
  
"It's good to see you, Ben," Cassi all but whispered.  
  
"You, too," Obi Wan paused. "You look good. But then you always do."  
  
Cassi smiled. "Thank you. You look good too, although, you're too thin, Ben."  
  
He shrugged and she walked to where he stood, hesitated for an instant, then put her arms around him and hugged him tightly. Obi Wan hugged her back, closed his eyes, and breathed in the scent of her hair. It was just as he remembered. Suddenly, the memory came to him of them lying in bed and him running his hands through her hair as they talked. It felt good to have her body pressed against his again. Other memories flooded his mind and he let go of her then and stood back.  
  
"How have you been?" he asked her.  
  
"Alright," she replied. "And you? Have you been keeping yourself out of trouble?"  
  
Obi Wan smiled. "Yes."  
  
Cassiopeia reached up and pulled gently on his beard. "What's this?" she grinned.  
  
Obi Wan shrugged and smiled sheepishly. "Don't you like it? Isn't it rugged?" They both laughed. "No, seriously, I don't know. It grew in shortly after I left Naboo. I've just left it. Anakin says it makes me look old."  
  
"It makes you look distinguished. Anakin seems to be quite a handful," Cassiopeia observed. "Is that why your face seems worn and weary?"  
  
"He is a very gifted Jedi, but he is too arrogant," Obi Wan sighed. It was good to talk with her again, she was a good listener and very wise. "I'm afraid I'm failing him as a Master." Obi Wan had never spoken his fear aloud before.  
  
Cassiopeia met his gaze levelly. "Are you failing him or is he failing you? Sometimes there is only so much guidance one can give. If the other doesn't heed that guidance, then it's his own fault."  
  
Obi Wan smiled. "You are good to defend me but I fear that maybe I haven't given Anakin the best training I could have because of my." he paused, searching for the correct word. ".distractions."  
  
Cassiopeia smiled and lowered her gaze for a moment. "Unfortunately, you'll never know I guess."  
  
They looked at each other for a few moments. There was so much unsaid between them. Both were unsure of the other's feelings and what to say.  
  
"Well m'lady," Obi Wan said at last. "Rest assured that my Padawan and I will keep you and the Senator safe. No worries."  
  
"Forever my protector?" Cassiopeia smiled thinly. She turned away from him to hide the tears that suddenly sprang to her eyes.  
  
Obi Wan sensed her tears and reached out to hold her again. She pulled away from him.  
  
"Don't," she said. "I can't."  
  
Cassiopeia put her face in her hands for a moment, then pushed her hair out of her face, sighed and looked into Obi Wan's eyes.  
  
"You need to know I have spent the last ten years trying to forget you because I knew you could never return to me," Cassiopeia said. "I closed my heart and threw myself into my work. The Republic and its people were all that mattered to me for a long time. I have tried to explain away the connection I felt with you and to forget all that we shared." She paused. "I had done a good job of forgetting. That is, until lately. Things are beginning to fall apart for me in the Republic and then when I saw you tonight..." she trailed off. "I know I shouldn't be telling you this, I know things have changed, we have changed," she sighed again. "Everything's changed it seems now. We're older and the responsibilities that pulled us apart in the first place have grown. Responsibilities that we cannot deny or run out on," she paused. "Anyway, I'm sorry. I shouldn't burden you with this Master Jedi."  
  
He looked at her tenderly but he couldn't stand to hear her call him that. "Don't call me that," Obi Wan beseeched her. "Call me by my name. Call me by the name you know me as."  
  
"Ben," Cassi whispered, met his gaze for an instant and then turned away.  
  
Obi Wan closed his eyes. He knew if he revealed his feelings for her, they would soon head back down the path that they both knew they shouldn't go. He knew the things he should say to her now tell her he was no longer in love with her, that once again his heart belonged completely to the Jedi Order and his commitment to it. Obi Wan sighed. He sensed that Cassi was dealing with so much right now, he didn't want to hurt her but he knew if he told her his true feelings, it would only hurt them both more in the long run.  
  
"Cassi," he whispered. "I loved you once a long time ago and I am grateful for the new world that you opened up to me. But as you said, we've been apart for so long and our duties have grown, not diminished. I know I promised that if I could return to you I would, but I've come back here to you on assignment, not of my own will." He paused. It tore him apart to say these things to her. "I will forever care for you deeply and I will always be your friend."  
  
"Ben," Cassi said, tears now sliding slowly down her face. "I know we cannot be together despite our feelings and I'm sorry for my emotions tonight, I am not usually like this. It isn't just seeing you again and dealing with all of my feelings for you, there is a lot wrong in my life right now, things that you would not understand." Cassi wiped her face and forced herself to return to her professional demeanor. She looked at him. "I'm sorry. And it is good to see you again. It's good to know that the Senator is in capable hands."  
  
Cassiopeia turned to leave. Obi Wan sensed a tremendous amount of turmoil and strife within her and he was desperate to calm her. Without thinking, he moved forward, took her in his arms and held her close. She stood rigid for a moment then melted into him and sobbed in great hitches. Obi Wan felt her tears soak through his tunic. Finally, her crying subsided. Cassi pulled away from him and wiped her eyes.  
  
"I'm so sorry, Ben," she whispered. "I don't want to burden you with everything."  
  
Obi Wan took her hand and guided her to the table. She sat down and he sat next to her, holding her hands in his. "You can always tell me anything, you know that. Even if you think I will not understand, it will help you to unburden yourself by talking to me. What's wrong?"  
  
Cassiopeia sighed and put her head in her hands. "I've worked the majority of my life for the Republic. All I ever wanted to do was to make life better for people. You don't know this but Padme and I began our training for governmental service together." She looked up at Obi Wan. "I wanted to be a senator, I wanted to live my life serving the people of Naboo. But when my father was killed everything changed. I fell apart. I saw what his service had done to him and my family. I can't explain my feelings and emotions for the year after his death. I became oblivious to life around me and I shut myself away. I lost my faith in people and in the service of people. By then Padme was an intern and doing so well. She helped me regain alot of my faith and practically by accident I fell into the role of advising her and we've maintained those roles for years," Cassi sighed again. "But it's all changed now. Everything's changed. Everything that I've believed in and had faith in and worked for has become tainted."  
  
Obi Wan took her hands again. "I could sense tension between you and Padme tonight when you came in," he said. "What happened, Counselor?"  
  
"Lately Padme and I fight constantly. We seem to have adopted different ideals and we view the galaxy differently. It all began when Count Dooku suddenly re-emerged and split the Republic in two," she paused and Obi Wan sensed great anguish within her. "I know Dooku fairly well," she looked into his eyes, "from previous contact with him on Naboo and in the senate. I know for a fact that his goal is total domination of the galaxy and that he will take by force those planets that refuse to side with him." At this Obi Wan raised a questioning eyebrow. "The Republic must have an army to protect itself. But Padme and many other senators don't share my view. They feel that negotiations must be maintained and they desire to keep the peace no matter what." Cassi smiled ruefully. "They are fools. They don't know what that man is capable of, what he will do to secure what he wants."  
  
"I know that Count Dooku is extremely suave and is capable of drawing people to him, especially when he uses the Force to that extent, but I'm not sure he would go to extremes and hurt people for his cause," Obi Wan frowned. "What makes you think so?"  
  
Cassiopeia ran a hand through her disheveled curls. She knew Dooku all too well and what he was capable of. But now was not the time to go into it and this was not the person to go into it with. "I don't know, just a hunch I suppose, never mind Ben." Cassi stood up and stretched. "It's late and I should try and get some more sleep."  
  
Obi Wan stood up and hugged her. "It does my heart good to see you, Cassi. And it's good to be able to talk with you again. You always understand me and listen to me without judging."  
  
"And you as well, Ben," she looked up at him. "I feel like I can tell you almost anything."  
  
Obi Wan picked up on her slip of words. "Almost?" he questioned.  
  
Cassiopeia shook her head. "It's late, Ben and I'm tired and you have duties to attend to. I'll see you in the morning. Good night my love."  
  
"Good night Counselor." 


	2. Chapter 2: Betrayals and Beginnings

Firestorm II  
  
Chapter 2: Betrayals and Beginnings  
  
Disclaimer: I borrowed a few lines from R.A. Salvatore's book, "Star Wars, Episode 2: Attack of the Clones". The rest is mine, except what is George's!!  
  
Obi Wan strode quickly through the door to Senator Amidala's apartment. He was in a hurry, anxious to be away in his search for the bounty hunter who had hired the Senator's would-be assassin. The apartment was dark and deserted. He turned on a light in order to locate his missing cloak. Obi Wan stopped short when he saw Cassiopeia sitting on the lounge, her head in her hands and a drink on the table in front of her. She looked up, saw it was him and lowered her head again.  
  
"I thought you had gone as well," her words were slightly slurred.  
  
Obi Wan moved to sit beside her. He brushed some aberrant curls away from her face. "What is it? What happened?"  
  
Cassi sighed. "I cannot do this anymore," she looked up at him. "I cannot advise someone who has lost complete and utter faith in me."  
  
"What happened now with Padme?"  
  
"I just don't know how our relationship has come to this. We have been best friends for years. We have shared everything together, happiness, loss, secrets. We may have disagreed with each other at times but we always maintained respect for each other. I fear now that is even gone." Cassi stood up and paced the apartment, a nervous habit, as she relayed her story. "This afternoon, I went to Padme's room to see if I could help her pack for her trip home to Naboo. When I walked in, Anakin was already there and they were embroiled in a conversation." Cassi paused and turned to look at Obi Wan. "He was upset and I overheard him saying some things about you that I did not appreciate." Obi Wan nodded, this seemed to be no surprise to him.  
  
"Go on," Obi Wan said.  
  
"He was complaining that you didn't listen to him regarding the need to find the being behind the assassination attempt and that you are holding him back by not allowing him to take the trials and." she paused. "He said, 'He's overly critical! He never listens! He just doesn't understand! It's not fair!' At that point, I could not stand there and listen to him anymore. I walked into the room and I told him that he would be wise to guard his thoughts and his tongue, that there was much he could learn from you if he would only put his ego aside for a moment."  
  
Obi Wan smiled, he loved that about Cassi, that she spoke her mind regardless of who was the recipient.  
  
"Padme immediately jumped down my throat. She told me that I would be wise to guard my tongue and that I 'need to learn my place'." Cassi's eyes filled with tears.  
  
"She said what?" Obi Wan was shocked that Padme would say that to anyone, let alone her best friend, her advisor, her Counselor. He stood up, went to Cassi, and held her closely to him.  
  
Cassiopeia continued, "My response to her was that I was leaving before she had the chance to say anything else to make me seriously consider resigning my position."  
  
"I don't understand," Obi Wan stated. "Why would she have said that?"  
  
"Padme's never degraded me like that before, ever. But she's tired of me expressing my opinions. She feels so strongly about defeating the Military Creation Act and I've advised her so fervently against defeating it that she has begun to shut out and disregard everything I say," Cassiopeia cried into his shoulder.  
  
She pulled away from him suddenly, wiped her face, and began pacing again. "Still," observed Obi Wan, "a comment like that is very out of character for Padme. Perhaps there's more to it than just the political tension between the two of you."  
  
Cassiopeia thought about what Obi Wan said. "Possibly. But what infuriates me the most is that she chose Anakin over me. At least that's how I perceive it." She turned to look at Obi Wan. "Why would she stick up for him like that? I don't understand."  
  
"I don't know, Cassi," Obi Wan stated truthfully. "Maybe she's tired or afraid for her life or just not thinking clearly." He paused. "Love, I hate to do this, but I've got to go. I'm pressed for time."  
  
"Yes, I heard you were off on an assignment. Where are you going?"  
  
"I'm off beyond the Outer Rim in search of a planet called Kamino. I'm attempting to track the bounty hunter who hired and then killed Padme's would-be assassin."  
  
They were both silent for a few moments. Obi Wan looked around the room and discovered his missing cloak. He strode over to where it lay, picked it up and put it on. He walked back over to Cassi and kissed her gently on the forehead.  
  
"Promise me something, alright," he looked into her eyes. "Promise that you won't make any rash decisions about resigning your position until after I return and we have more time to talk. Please. And no more drinking alone in the dark ok?" Obi Wan started toward the door.  
  
"Ben, take me with you."  
  
He turned back to look at her. "What?"  
  
"Please, let me come with you," Cassi gestured around the apartment. "I can't just sit around here in Padme's apartment and do nothing. I need to get away. I need to clear my head so I can think properly about my future."  
  
Obi Wan shook his head. "Absolutely not, Cassi. You cannot come with me. It will most likely be dangerous."  
  
"All the more reason for you to have a partner." Cassiopeia moved close to Obi Wan, put her arms around his neck and stroked his hair. "Please, Ben?" she purred into his neck.  
  
He smiled into her hair. He was being manipulated. He knew it and he didn't mind it. Obi Wan's head screamed at him. He knew it was completely against the Jedi code to take a non-Jedi on assignment with him and it went completely against all common sense. But the truth was he missed her. He would love to spend more time with her. And, he wanted to help ease some of her pain. Despite all his misgivings, he nodded.  
  
"Alright, Cassi," he said. "Hurry up then."  
  
Cassiopeia grinned and hugged him tight. "Oh you're the best, Ben. I love you."  
  
She let go of him and hurried to the guestroom she was occupying to change her clothes. She hadn't even notice what she had said to him. But Obi Wan had. Her last words rang in his ears. It seemed like forever since he had heard her say those words to him. His passion for her boiled up and he fought to keep himself from bounding into the room after her, kissing her passionately, forgetting all about the assignment, and just staying in bed with her for days on end. But he stayed right where he was until she emerged from her room, ready to go.  
  
"Alright," she smiled at him. "I'm ready."  
  
Obi Wan hadn't seen her smile like that in years and it was good to see it again finally. "Before we go, a few ground rules; you will stay in the starfighter when I deem the situation to be too dangerous, you will follow my lead at all times, and you will remember that I am on assignment, not a vacation. Understood?" he said.  
  
"Oh for star's sake, Ben, give me some credit," Cassiopeia was slightly annoyed. "I'm not your Padawan. I will be nothing if not professional. I trust your judgment but you must also trust mine." She walked up to him, looked into his eyes for a moment, then kissed him softly on the lips. "May the Force be with us," she said, a playful smile spreading across her face as she walked through the door to the outer hall.  
  
"I may be in over my head," Obi Wan shook his head and chuckled to himself as he followed her through. 


	3. Chapter 3: Chance Encounters

Firestorm II  
  
Chapter 3: Chance Encounters  
  
In her medication-induced dream, Cassiopeia relived the instant that she had seen her one true love get pulled over the edge of the landing platform toward the billowing ocean. She had disobeyed Obi Wan's strict orders to "stay in the starfighter no matter what" and after a few minutes had followed after him, intent on assisting him. The relentless rain was coming down in sheets making visibility almost zero and making everything slick. The doors had slid open on the turbolift, she had run out into the pouring rain and had seen him jump up and kick the bounty hunter square in the chest. Jango Fett was knocked over the side of the platform. But since he was tethered to the bounty hunter, Obi Wan was jerked over the side as well.  
  
"Ben," Cassi screamed into the driving rain. She ran to the edge, peered over, and saw the bounty hunter, Jango Fett, already climbing unsteadily up the side toward her. But Obi Wan was no where to be seen.  
  
Cassiopeia, on the verge of panic, remembered how Obi Wan had always talked of calming his mind and relaxing in difficult or dangerous situations. Despite her fear that Obi Wan may have fallen to his death, Cassi forced herself to relax. She breathed in deeply, closed her eyes, and steadied her racing mind and heart so she could think more clearly. She knew she was in danger of meeting the same fate as her love but now that Obi Wan was not here to stop Jango and bring him to the Jedi Council for questioning on the assassination attempt of Padme, she knew it was up to her.  
  
Cassiopeia opened her eyes, reached underneath her cloak and pulled her blaster from its holster. Being the daughter of one of Naboo's former chief of security officers, Cassi had been well instructed in the use of firearms and had become an accomplished marksman. But she was nervous, she hadn't even held a blaster in years let alone fired one. And she knew she was about to face a veteran bounty hunter, one who had doubtless perfected his firing skills while Cassi had been but a child.  
  
In her sleep, Cassiopeia stirred. She knew she was dreaming and what was coming and she desperately wanted to wake up, but the pain medication she had been given refused to allow her to wake.  
  
In her dream, Cassi watched the bounty hunter climb up over the edge of the platform. She had taken a hidden position behind Fett's ship where she could see him. He bounded, shaken from his slide to near-death, for the loading ramp. Cassiopeia took a deep breath and jumped out from her hiding place, blaster raised.  
  
"Hold it right there, Fett," she called. "If you make one move, I'll shoot you."  
  
Jango Fett had been startled by her appearance. He put up his hands. Cassiopeia moved toward him until she was between him and the ship's ramp.  
  
"Alright, let's go," she motioned with the blaster toward the turbolift. "Move."  
  
Suddenly, without warning, Cassipeia heard a blaster fire. Instinctively, she ducked to do a quick roll across the platform, but before she could, she was hit in the shoulder by blasterfire, her own blaster knocked out of her hand. Cassiopeia groaned and clutched her wounded left shoulder. Fett bounded up the ramp and she helplessly watched him go. As he reached the top and hit the switch to close the ramp, she glimpsed a young boy with a blaster retreating into the ship in front of Jango.  
  
"Blast," Cassi said to herself, "that must be Bobba. Obi Wan said there was a boy, Bobba, with Jango." She winced in pain. "How could I have forgotten there was another? How could I have been so careless?"  
  
At that moment, the turbolift doors slid open again and Obi Wan ran through them. Using the Force, his lightsaber sprung into his hand. He saw Fett's ship already beginning to pull away from the landing platform. Obi Wan pulled out a tracking device and threw it onto the ship's hull. He stood there in the rain for a moment, looking up at the departing ship, then he sheathed his lightsaber and turned away to head toward the turbolift.  
  
"Ben, wait," Cassi called through the rain, still clutching her shoulder.  
  
Obi Wan turned back at the sound of her voice, surprise and concern filling his face at the sight of her.  
  
"What are you doing here?" he demanded. "I told you to stay." he trailed off, noticing her injury. He ran and knelt beside her. "Cassi, what happened?" He moved her hand to look at her injury.  
  
"I tried to stop him," Cassi explained through her pain. "I wasn't sure what had happened to you. But I forgot that he had someone else with him. I was caught from behind.foolish," she chided herself.  
  
Obi Wan picked her up gently and hurried toward the turbolift to return to the starfighter.  
  
Cassiopeia finally awoke with a start. She sat up and rubbed her eyes with her uninjured arm and looked around the room. She was lying on a bed in a makeshift housing quarter. At first she wasn't sure where she was then suddenly, memories came flooding back. Cassi lay back down on the pillow with a sigh, wincing suddenly when her injured shoulder hit the bed. Tears formed behind her eyelids but not just because of the sharp jolt of pain; the memory of Obi Wan's anger at her disregarding his order, the pained silence between them as they tracked the bounty hunter here to Geonosis, and then their sudden capture and separation flooded Cassi's mind.  
  
Obi Wan had been more angry with himself when she got injured for agreeing to let her tag along on his assignment, Cassi knew, then at her for disobeying him. In the starfighter as he had bandaged up her shoulder as best he could without proper medical supplies, he had asked how he would have explained everything to the Jedi Council in the event that she had been killed.  
  
"Is that what concerns you most?" she had asked him angrily. "Not the fact that I'd be dead and you'd never see me again, but that you'd have to come up with a good reason as to why I was with you in the first place?"  
  
Obi Wan had finished bandaging her wound, looked into her eyes, and replied shortly, "Yes."  
  
Cassiopeia had been deeply hurt. She couldn't believe that comment had come out of Obi Wan's mouth, the only man besides her father that she had ever truly loved. She rolled over onto her right side and sighed. Her mind was foggy from the medication and she worked to clear it. She knew she a huge decision awaited her regarding her future and she needed to be clear-headed.  
  
The door to the room slid open and former Jedi Knight and current leader of the separatist movement, Count Dooku, entered. He was dressed completely in black and was adorned with a black cape. He smiled tenderly at her and moved to sit on the bed beside her. Cassiopeia sat up and swung her legs over the opposite side of the bed, as far away from him as she could get.  
  
"Where's Jedi Master Kenobi?" she asked him, unable to meet his gaze.  
  
Dooku reached out to touch her right hand and she pulled it away. Instead, he ran his hand through her red curls. "He's safe," he answered in his deep baritone voice, "for now. However I think his safety will depend on you, my dear." 


	4. Chapter 4: Sweet Nothings

Chapter 4: Sweet Nothings  
  
At that comment, Cassiopeia finally looked at Dooku. "What do you mean?" But she was afraid of the answer, knowing him the way she did.  
  
Dooku smiled slyly. "I know you have feelings for him, this Jedi," he paused as she began to protest. "Do not deny it, Cassi." It killed her to hear him say her name. "I know you and your obsession with the Jedi. Besides that, I can sense it." He looked at her and Cassiopeia dropped her gaze. In that instant, Dooku sensed the extent of her love for Obi Wan. It was not a school-girl crush or a brief fling as he had thought, Cassiopeia truly loved him. If Obi Wan loves her as well..Dooku let the thought trail off, not wanting to finish it. His face suddenly clouded with anger, he turned away from her, stood up and began pacing.  
  
Cassiopeia turned and watched him. She knew he was upset, she had hoped to be able to keep her love for Obi Wan from him. She didn't feel badly for him, she just hoped that in his anger he wouldn't act too rashly, possibly taking it out on Obi Wan or herself.  
  
"When are you going to release us?" Cassiopeia ventured at last.  
  
Dooku turned to look at her. "Release you?" he asked, incredulous. He laughed. "Release a Jedi Knight of the Republic and a head advisor for a senator of the Republic? You were found trespassing on land of the newly- formed Galactic Empire for reasons you will not disclose. I can only suppose that you and Master Kenobi are to be tried by the Geonosians on the grounds of espionage."  
  
"What?" Cassiopeia asked, disbelieving. "The Galactic Empire? You cannot be serious. The Republic will not stand for this. You have no right to hold us. We have committed no crime. The Republic."  
  
"The Republic is dead!" Dooku shouted at her. "Soon the Republic will be in tatters. You know it. You have seen it coming, Cassi, I know you have. You are too intelligent to not have foreseen that the end of the Republic is coming quickly."  
  
Cassiopeia tried to stand up. Her vision blurred and her head swam from the after-effects of the medication he had given her and she sat back down heavily on the bed. She shook her head to clear it. "No, Dooku. You're wrong. The Republic has its faults and shortcomings, but all democracies do. That does not mean that it should be dismantled. All beings deserve basic freedoms. All beings deserve to have their voices heard."  
  
Dooku strode to the bed and sat down next to her. He took her hand, she tried to pull it away but he held it steadfast. "When was the last time the Republic listened to you? When was the last time your voice was heard, Cassi?"  
  
"That's not the point," Cassiopeia shook her head.  
  
"I know you are having problems right now, Cassi. I know there is a lot of tension in your life, I see it in your face, I hear it in your tone of voice, and I sense it through the Force," he paused. "The Republic is not living up to your expectations anymore. It hasn't for a long time. It is failing its citizens."  
  
"I hate it when you do this," Cassiopeia sighed. "You're taking an aspect of my life and you're attaching very broad generalizations to it that are completely inappropriate." She looked at him. "Yes, I'm having difficulties in my professional life right now as an advisor. But to take those difficulties and to convert them into the massive problems the Republic has right now is unfair."  
  
Dooku stroked her cheek. "No, it isn't unfair. It is a minute detail of a massive problem. It is typical of what the Republic has become."  
  
"Okay, okay, enough of this. I refuse to be drawn into a debate with you over the Republic," Cassiopeia ran her hand through her hair, tried to stand up again, was able to retain her footing, and walked to look out the window. She dreaded asking this next question but she knew she must. "Now, back to Obi Wan's safety. What do I need to do to get his release secured?" She looked directly at him.  
  
"I'm not going to force you into anything, Cassi, I never have. You know that. The truth is there may indeed be nothing that you can do for him. I must speak with Obi Wan to see what his intentions are." Dooku replied.  
  
"He will never cooperate with you, Dooku."  
  
Dooku smiled and moved to stand behind her. "I love to hear you say my name, dear."  
  
Cassiopeia lowered her gaze. "Please don't," she said. "Not now." She turned away from him to gaze out the window again.  
  
"Stay with me, Cassi," Dooku whispered in her ear. "I can give you everything your heart desires."  
  
Cassiopeia smiled ruefully. "No, you cannot give me the one thing I want the most." She looked back at him again. "You cannot give me Obi Wan."  
  
Dooku breathed in deeply, attempting to control the anger that suddenly again coursed through him. "And does Obi Wan share your feelings? Does he love you unconditionally?"  
  
"No," Cassiopeia admitted. "He can't. He is a Jedi and he refuses to turn his back on his commitments. I admire him for that." She sighed. "He did love me once, a long time ago. But our lives do not allow us to be together."  
  
"Then he doesn't really love you, dear," Dooku whispered. "If he truly loved you, he would give it all up to be with you."  
  
She turned to face him. "Like you did?" she spat out. "And see what it has brought us to?" She shook her head. "Even if Obi Wan was willing to walk away from the Order for me, I wouldn't allow him to. I would not be willing to take the chance that he would follow your path. I love him too much to risk losing him to the dark side of the Force."  
  
"You didn't lose me, love, you left me."  
  
"I didn't know you anymore. You turned into a cold, unfeeling, ruthless man. You wanted things for the galaxy that I could never agree with." She paused. "I could not live with myself or you knowing of the atrocities you commit."  
  
"Atrocities?" Dooku asked. "What atrocities? I am a governmental leader of the Galactic Empire. I have done nothing that would cause you anguish."  
  
Cassiopeia scoffed. "I don't believe you. The last time we spoke, years ago, you described your dream of this galaxy ruled over by a heavy- handed dictator, a dictator who would force beings into submission through the use of his army. And now Obi Wan and I find you here, scheming with your fellow separatist cohorts, establishing some 'Galactic Empire', building an army to assist in your agenda to overthrow the Republic so you alone can rule the galaxy. Maybe you haven't spilled innocent blood yet, but I know you, I know its coming. I know from personal experience that you will stop at nothing to get what you want." Cassi paused and looked out the window. "Blast, this is exactly what I knew would happen. This is what I've been telling Padme for the last several years." Tears began to form in Cassiopeia's eyes at the thought of her employer, her friend completely disregarding her."  
  
Dooku sensed her thoughts. "And yet, she hasn't listened to you. She thinks she's above you, that she knows better." Dooku looked into her eyes. "This is the problem with the Republic, it has become a gaggle of beings that think they know what is best for the galaxy as a whole. But they never stop to ask the beings they supposedly serve what they really want and need." He paused. "I will do that, Cassi. I will make the galaxy better for all." He stroked her cheek again. "But it would all be for nothing without you by my side. You must know that I would never disregard you, not the way Padme has.not the way the Republic has...not the way Obi Wan has."  
  
Those final words broke her heart. Cassiopeia held Dooku's gaze. "I don't know where I belong anymore." She whispered, tears now falling down her cheeks.  
  
"You belong with me," he bent down and whispered closely in her ear. "You always have." He paused. "I've missed you terribly, my darling wife." 


	5. Chapter 5: Broken Ideologies

Firestorm II  
  
Chapter 5: Broken Ideologies  
  
Dooku turned Cassiopeia around to face him. He bent down to kiss her. "It's been far too long since we last saw each other," he said just before his lips brushed hers.  
  
"Don't," she pulled away from him. "I haven't been your wife for a very long time, D."  
  
He was delighted to hear the nickname she had always called him yet he raised an eyebrow at her comment. "Really? That's news to me. I have never been given any dissolution papers to sign."  
  
"That's not what I mean," Cassiopeia sighed. "Maybe on paper I'm still your wife, but in practice I haven't been for quite some time."  
  
Dooku smiled. "Then it's time we begin practicing again."  
  
Cassiopeia smiled and shook her head. She looked at him for a moment. "I don't know you anymore," she said. "I'm not sure if I ever really did. But I do know this, your view of the galaxy is very different from mine. I do not believe in dictatorship, it's too oppressive."  
  
"You have been blinded by the Republic, my love. True democracy is not possible in large venues and it never will be because of the vainness and egos of democratic leaders. They end up serving their own desires and those of their financial backers instead of the beings who trust in them and need their help the most." He paused to gauge her reaction to his words. Dooku could sense Cassiopeia's desire to retain her democratic ideology of the Republic but in part because of recent events and her own personal experiences, he sensed her beginning to waver. He smiled, he almost had her. "But if there is one being, a decent, caring being, to rule the entire galaxy, that being will do what is best for all of the beings in the galaxy, not just those who back him."  
  
"And what of those who oppose this dictator?" she asked. "What happens to them?"  
  
"Why do you think there would be any opposition?"  
  
"Oh please," Cassiopeia scoffed. "Any kind of change is difficult and you know there would be opposition to a dictatorship. Many beings would not take kindly to losing their representation to their government."  
  
Dooku smiled. He had recently received word that Chancellor Palpatine had been granted emergency powers by the Senate. "But, my dear, that is exactly what has just happened. Because of Obi Wan's message to Coruscant, the entire Republic is in fear and Palpatine has been voted emergency powers of office. The Republic has effectively given up its right of representation to one being."  
  
Cassiopeia was shocked. "No, I don't believe you. The Republic would never do that."  
  
"Wouldn't they?" he smiled.  
  
Cassiopeia's mind raced. She supposed if the Republic had voted the Chancellor emergency powers, then the Senators must have had good reason. She looked at Dooku and knew what that reason was.  
  
"Then tell me, D, if you do not have violence in mind, why does the Republic see you as such a threat?"  
  
"I suppose I am a threat to them," he answered. "But not in the way you insist I am. I am a threat to their livelihood. Once I am in power, they will no longer have their jobs as Senators. That is why they are desperate to stop me."  
  
"Back to my question, then: what will you do with the opposition?"  
  
"I will not kill them, love. However, if they are the ones that begin the violence, then I am afraid I will have to finish it. But I will not start it, I promise you that."  
  
Dooku tilted Cassiopeia's head up so she would look into his eyes. "I need you beside me, Cassi. Be my Queen. Queen of all the galaxy. Let me take you away from the chaos of the Republic, take you away from all of this."  
  
Cassiopeia closed her eyes. She was torn. Dooku's plan went against everything she had ever believed in. But the idea that the Senate had voted the Chancellor emergency powers, essentially had given him the powers of a dictator, was confusing and disturbing. It seemed that everything and everyone she had ever believed in had changed so drastically. And his comment about being Queen, she had to admit it appealed to her. She had never been power-hungry or driven by self-interest. But if she were Queen, she would be in a position to help beings first-hand through consulting with Dooku. The two of them together, she and Dooku, could work for the betterment of the galaxy. But what if he doesn't mean what he says, she thought. What if he has no intention of working for the good of beings?  
  
"I need some time, D," Cassiopeia finally answered. "I just don't know. I mean, how can I begin to trust you?"  
  
"The only way to learn to trust me is to spend time with me. I know what I'm asking of you is difficult. I know you're scared and confused and I'm sorry that you are in this position. But I love you, Cassi, I always have. I can only imagine how difficult today has been for you, my love." Dooku took Cassi in his arms and held her close. "Seeing me again after so many years apart, learning of the Republic's actions, dealing with your emotions regarding Senator Amidala and Obi Wan; you're dealing with an awful lot right now. Of course I will give you some to think things over." He kissed the top of her head, let her go and strode swiftly toward the door. He paused and turned back to her. "But don't take too long, my dear, or I will be forced to turn you over to the Geonosians."  
  
With that, Dooku was gone, leaving Cassiopeia alone with her broken ideologies.  
  
  
  
Some time later, Count Dooku returned. He found Cassiopeia standing in front of the window, looking out upon Geonosis. He moved to stand behind her and put his arms around her.  
  
"Well, Cassi?" he asked. "What's it going to be?"  
  
She turned to look at him. "I have pretty much reasoned in favor of going with you but before my decision is final, I must request that I be allowed to see and speak with Obi Wan."  
  
"Why?" Dooku demanded.  
  
"I need to ask him something," she replied simply. "And perhaps I can reason with him, help him understand our cause so that he will be able to be released."  
  
"Very well," Dooku replied. "I'll take you to him." 


	6. Chapter 6: Soul Mates

Firestorm II  
  
Chapter 6: Soul Mates  
  
Obi Wan, suspended inside a force field by crackling bolts of blue energy, was slowly turned around and around. The motion was not fast enough to cause him to be physically dizzy, but it was his mind that was swirling. He was concerned for Cassi. In the hours since he'd been imprisoned here by the Geonosians, he had only been visited once and that had been by that traitor, Count Dooku. Obi Wan had asked him where Cassiopeia was and Dooku had replied that she was safe. But that was all of the information Obi Wan could get out of him. He had attempted in vain to use the Force to get a sense from Dooku where she was and the condition she was in, but being a former Jedi, Dooku was able to keep Obi Wan at bay.  
  
Despite everything he'd said to Cassiopeia about caring for her only as a friend, the truth was he loved her more than life itself, he loved her more than he ever thought he could love another being. And it frightened him. But more frightening than his feelings for her was the thought that he could actually lose her. While they both knew that they could not be together because of his commitment to the Jedi Order, they both thought of each other as soul mates. She was the only being in the galaxy that he could run to when he needed comfort or strength. She was the only being in the galaxy that he could truly talk to. And he had done just that often. Over the last ten years, they may not have seen each other or heard each other's voice, but they had personal messaged each other frequently. When he needed advice or just needed to vent about Anakin, he messaged her. When she was frustrated by the politics of the Senators, she messaged him. They understood each other and the responsibilities that each other's life entailed. The bottom line was they, Cassiopeia and Obi Wan, fit together.  
  
Suddenly, the door to his holding area slid open, and Cassiopeia walked through. Elated by the sight of her, Obi Wan smiled broadly. He wished with all his heart he could rush to her and hold her to him, but his bonds prevented any movement other than his head. He saw Cassiopeia smile ruefully, but he didn't take time to wonder about her sadness.  
  
"Hello Ben."  
  
"Cassi, I'm so glad to see you're alright," Obi Wan said. "Did they hurt you at all?"  
  
She shook her head. "No, I'm fine. My shoulder is feeling much better, actually. And you, are you alright?"  
  
"I'm fine, love. I've been so worried about you." Suddenly, he realized that she had come unescorted. "They let you go?" he asked, a bit incredulous.  
  
"No," Cassi lowered her gaze. "Count Dooku agreed to let me see you."  
  
"He did? Why?"  
  
"I need to talk with you, Ben."  
  
"But I don't understand, Cassi, why did Dooku let you come alone? I must say that surprises me, that he would trust you like that."  
  
Cassiopeia met Obi Wan's gaze. "Dooku and I have known each other for a long time. Remember when I told you that I know him well?"  
  
Obi Wan thought for a moment. "Yes but I didn't think that much about it at the time. How long have you known him?"  
  
Cassiopeia paused and lowered her gaze again. She knew this was going to be dreadful. "Since I was 16, when my father was killed. You'll remember that my father uncovered a plot to assassinate the former Queen. He requested help from the Jedi Order and they sent Master Dooku and his padawan. After my father was killed, Dooku took my family under his wing. He handled the majority of the funeral preparations and he took care of us. He reminded me so much of my father, so gentle and kind, and I became a bit infatuated with him." Cassiopeia grinned slightly at the memories. She paused and looked at Obi Wan.  
  
"Your father's death occurred around the time that Dooku left the Order right?" Obi Wan asked.  
  
"Yes, it did. Dooku refused his order from the Council to return to Coruscant after my father's funeral, he felt that his place was with my family and I, but his padawan returned." She paused and took a deep breath. "To make a long story short, Ben, he and I were married a few months after my father's death."  
  
Obi Wan was speechless. He stared at her slack-jawed for a few moments. "What?" he finally managed. "You and Dooku? Married? I don't understand."  
  
"I'm so sorry that I never told you, Ben."  
  
"So are you still married, you've been married this entire time?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"You were married when you told me you loved me?"  
  
"Technically, yes."  
  
"And you were married when you made love with me?" Obi Wan's voice was filled with anger and he about spat out the words at her.  
  
"Ben," Cassiopeia pleaded, "please listen, please try to understand. Technically yes, we are still married. But you have to realize that I haven't actually been his wife in years. After we were married, he officially left the Order. Then he met some mysterious man that he has never been willing to talk to me about and the two of them hatched these awful plans of total Galaxy domination. That's how I've known what he's planning. Almost overnight, Dooku became a cold, unfeeling, unforgiving man who I didn't know. We had only been married for a year when I asked him to leave. I didn't really love him, Ben. I realize now that I never have. The main reason I married him was because I missed my father so much and he reminded me of him. But I never loved him."  
  
"Then why didn't you ever file for dissolution?"  
  
"I was ashamed," Cassiopeia hung her head. "I would have had to have filed a dissolution with the court and it would have had to have been approved by the Queen. By this time, Padme had been elected Queen. There was no way I wanted her to know about my mistake."  
  
"I don't buy that, Cassi," Obi Wan replied angrily. "You were best friends. According to you, you told each other everything. What's the real reason?"  
  
"That is the real reason, Ben. I know it sounds odd and it doesn't make much sense now in our maturity. But please try to understand, I was young, I was immensely embarrassed and I didn't want anyone to know that I had married Dooku. I still don't."  
  
Obi Wan closed his eyes, breathed in deeply, and worked to calm his emotions. The only other time in his life that he remembered being this angry was when he had watched his Master, Qui Gon, be murdered in front of him. He couldn't explain the betrayal he felt, but not just betrayal, jealousy. Jealous that the woman he loved, the woman he had kissed and touched and made love to was another man's wife. And not just any man, Count Dooku, a defector of the Jedi Order and traitor to the Republic. Obi Wan was seething with anger and it threatened to overtake him. He became angry with himself for letting his emotions rule him like this.  
  
"Ben, I'm so sorry," Cassiopeia all but whispered. "Please, please believe that I never wanted to hurt you. I love you."  
  
"You love me?" Obi Wan asked vehemently. "You don't lie to someone you truly love."  
  
"I never lied to you. I never lied about anything."  
  
Obi Wan scoffed. "Omitting a vital fact is the same thing as lying. You omitted the fact that you were married, therefore you lied to me."  
  
"No, Ben, please, I didn't mean for this to happen."  
  
"So, what was I to you Cassi? Just another notch on your belt?"  
  
"What?" Cassi was shocked and hurt by his words. "No. Not for an instant. I love you, you know that. But more than that, you and I are perfect together, Ben. We are more than just lovers, we are soul mates. We belong together."  
  
"Cassi," Obi Wan whispered, trying to control his anger, "I suggest you leave. Now."  
  
"No, please, we need to talk. I can't leave you like this."  
  
Obi Wan looked directly at her. "The only other time I've ever been this angry was when I watched Maul butcher Qui Gon. You remember what I did to him? I suggest you leave."  
  
Cassiopeia was stunned. She couldn't believe that he would ever actually physically hurt her. Then again, she had never seen him this angry before.  
  
"I'm sorry, Ben, for what it's worth. I never wanted to hurt you. I don't know when we'll see each other again. Please just know that I love you. I love you with all my heart."  
  
"You're nothing to me." Obi Wan looked at her levelly.  
  
Tears filled Cassiopeia's eyes. She turned and fled the holding area without a look back.  
  
Pained and angry with himself for hurting Cassi with his words, having said those words only out of anger, not really meaning them, wishing desperately he could rush after her, hold her in his arms and take it all back, Obi Wan hung his head. 


	7. Chapter 7: Consequences

Firestorm II  
  
Chapter 7: Consequences  
  
Cassiopeia sat inside the small interstellar sail ship inside a small hangar on Geonosis, waiting for Dooku. She'd been here for almost two hours and during that time, she'd attempted to keep from thinking. If she allowed herself thought, she knew she would talk herself out of going with him. After her encounter with Obi Wan, she'd been so heart broken and hurt by his final words that she had rashly made the decision to go with Dooku. In the back of her mind she knew she was attempting to run away from her pain and not confront it directly. She refused to allow herself to think about the long - term ramifications of her decision. Count Dooku had naturally been elated with her decision to leave Geonosis with him.  
  
"I take it things didn't go as well as hoped with Obi Wan?" he'd asked her as he held her close.  
  
Cassiopeia pulled away and looked at him. "There's nothing to say about him," she'd forced a smile at Dooku. "When do we depart?"  
  
"Soon, love, soon," Dooku paused and looked at her. "As soon as I've attended to some final business, we'll be off."  
  
"What business?"  
  
Dooku sighed. "Apparently Senator Amidala and a Jedi Padawan have been captured spying on the Geonosians and there is to be a trial for them and Obi Wan," Dooku watched Cassi suck her breath in. "I will attend the trial and do my best to get them released," he lied to her. "I'm sure that the Galactic Empire does not want to begin a war with the Republic over the death of a Senator and I'm sure I can convince the Geonosians of that."  
  
She smiled up at him, put her arms around his neck and hugged him fiercely. "Thank you," Cassi whispered. "Oh, thank you."  
  
Now as she waited for him, she was suddenly filled with fear. What if he was lying to her? What if Obi Wan, Padme, and Anakin were to be killed and that had been the intention all along? She chided herself for putting her faith in a man she had not trusted in too many years to count. She could not desert her friends and leave them helpless despite the recent emotional beatings she'd taken from them.  
  
Cassiopeia made up her mind to find her friends and assist them, regardless of the fact that Dooku had confiscated her blaster. She stood up and exited the ship. Just then, Dooku rushed into the hangar. His pilot droid was at a control panel, finishing up the last minute flight check. Dooku walked over to the control panel, gestured the droid away hurriedly, and finished up the check quickly. Cassiopeia noticed his impatience.  
  
"What's wrong, D," she asked. "What happened to Obi Wan, Padme, and Anakin?"  
  
"They're just fine dearest," he smiled sweetly at her. "Please get on board the ship, it is time to go."  
  
Cassiopeia turned and re-entered the ship. Suddenly, she heard Anakin's voice from within the hangar, "You're gonna pay for all of the Jedi that you killed today, Dooku." Cassi was stunned, she could not believe her ears. Dooku killed Jedi? If that was true, he had lied to her and she could not leave with him, could not trust him. She peered through the window of the sail ship to observe the exchange between the Jedi and her husband.  
  
Cassi watched as Anakin ignored his Master's plan and charged Dooku. Dooku threw him up against the wall with a burst of blue Force lightning unlike anything she'd ever seen or heard of before. Anakin slumped to the floor, pained and stunned. Then she watched in fear as Dooku challenged Obi Wan and they began to duel with their sabers. Cassi willed Obi Wan strength to defeat Dooku, but it didn't help. She watched in horror as Dooku's lightsaber slashed Obi Wan's upper arm and then his thigh. Cassi rushed to the ramp of the ship, intent on stopping Dooku. She saw Anakin leap to his Master's defense before Dooku could kill Obi Wan and Cassi breathed a sigh of relief. She watched Obi Wan throw Anakin his own lightsaber and Dooku and Anakin moved off to the opposite end of the hangar, blades arcing and hissing as they clashed. Obi Wan lowered his head to the floor and closed his eyes.  
  
"Ben," Cassi called. She ran over to where he lay, knelt down next to him, cradled his head in her left hand and stroked his hair back off of his sweaty forehead with her right hand. "Ben," she whispered. "It's me. It's Cassi. Open your eyes, Ben, look at me."  
  
Obi Wan's eyes opened slowly. She saw intense pain within them. "Cassi?" he asked. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"Sshh, don't talk," she bent and kissed his forehead. "It's going to be alright." She looked off in the direction of Anakin and Dooku. "I've got to get you out of here."  
  
Obi Wan shook his head, "You were going to go with him, weren't you?" He inched away from her, out of her reach. "Leave me alone, Cassi. Go get on your husband's ship."  
  
"No, Ben." Cassiopeia paused. They could not have this argument again. She decided to change topics. "Ben what happened today? What happened at the trial?" She had to know.  
  
"What trial?" Obi Wan scoffed. "It was an execution, not a trial. Fortunately we received reinforcements just in time."  
  
Cassiopeia's heart dropped. She'd been correct about Dooku all along. "Oh Ben, I'm so sorry. I didn't know."  
  
"You didn't want to know," he looked past her to watch Anakin and Dooku.  
  
"That's not true," she was very upset over his judgments of her lately. His and Padme's as well. She was a good person, she did not deserve this. "He's lied to me, Ben, lied to me this whole time."  
  
Obi Wan looked back at her. "Like husband, like wife, I suppose."  
  
"Please stop that. I've explained that situation to you. It's not what you think."  
  
"Apparently many relationships are not what I think lately." His eyes bored into her, sensing her emotions with the Force. He could feel her anguish and knew she meant what she said. His heart softened and he willed himself to put his hand on her arm, to show her that despite the fact she had hurt him, he believed her and was still her friend. But his hurt and his ego would not allow him to.  
  
"Ben," Cassi whispered. "I do love you, no matter what you think of me right now, you are my one true love and you always will be. And I'm so sorry for everything that's happened. You must believe me."  
  
"So, are you going with Dooku?" Obi Wan challenged.  
  
Cassiopeia looked into his eyes. "I do not want to. But I fear that my friends have turned their backs on me and I have no where else to turn. I do not love him but he is the only one in my life right now offering friendship and security."  
  
"Well, then I guess your decision is made," Obi Wan's pride replied. His desire to hurt her as she'd hurt him was unnatural to him, Jedi work to rise above the petty emotion of revenge. The problem was Cassi always invoked such deep emotion in him, emotion that he was usually unable to control.  
  
Cassiopeia's eyes filled with tears, she leaned forward and kissed Obi Wan's mouth deeply. It had been ten years since they had kissed this way and memories and longing suddenly flashed back to him. His pride melted away and exposed the true love he felt for her. That love could not be denied and, regardless of the outcomes and consequences, he knew he must tell her his true feelings. He knew he must stop pushing her away and let her in, he must stop hurting her. In the instant that Obi Wan reached out to touch her, Cassiopeia broke away from him, stood up and without looking at him, walked resolutely into Dooku's ship.  
  
"Cassi, wait," Obi Wan called, but his call was lost in the commotion of Anakin's and Dooku's finished fight. Anakin's arm was severed and he was Force - pushed. He came to lie next to Obi Wan, head on his boot. Obi Wan knew this was the end, Dooku had won. He looked at his Padawan, who seemed to be unconscious, and anguish spread through him. Anguish at his failures. He had failed the Jedi Council, he had failed Anakin, he had failed Qui Gon, and he had failed Cassi. Obi Wan willed the end to be quick. He closed his eyes and meditated in the Force.  
  
Some time later, unknowing how much time had passed, Obi Wan came out of his reverie and looked around. To his astonishment, he saw Master Yoda in a fight with Dooku. Obi Wan grinned slightly as he watch the Jedi Master leap and twirl and parry each of Dooku's blows. Obi Wan then looked at his Padawan who appeared to be stirring slightly. Then he looked to the sail ship and he could sense Cassi inside. Obi Wan made a move to get up, immense pain bolted down his injured arm and leg, but he ignored it, he had to get to that ship and get Cassi out.  
  
As he began to rise, Dooku used the Force to pull a giant steel column over and it began to fall onto Obi Wan and Anakin. Obi Wan rolled over back over and used the Force to keep it from plummeting down upon them. Anakin seemed to regain consciousness and he added his use of the Force to the column. But they were weak from their injuries, they could barely keep the column from smashing down upon them. Master Yoda came to their rescue and through the Force, threw the column from above them into a separate section of the hangar. Obi Wan and Anakin laid their heads down, gasping for air, exhausted.  
  
Dooku raced up the ramp to his ship, disappeared inside, the ship lifted up and was gone. Obi Wan rolled over onto his stomach to watch its ascent.  
  
"NO! CASSI!" he screamed after it. But he was too late, she was gone.  
  
The End  
  
  
  
Author's Note: A sequel, my version of Episode III is in the works. 


End file.
